The state-run People's Television (PTV) Network has expanded its Manila newsroom
to bring services of development communication closer to the people of the
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Central Mindanao.

Julmunir Jannaral, senior desk editor of the PTV Channel 4 in Manila,
said the TV network has established a News Bureau for the ARMM and Central
Mindanao. The PTV News Bureau shares office and has been in close working
collaboration with the Bureau of Public Information of the ARMM.

But
Jannaral, who has been designated PTV bureau chief, was quick to clarify that
the local PTV News Bureau is not intended to put up a trade competition with the
giant network ABS-CBN, which has established local relay TV stations in some
parts of Mindanao and in the Visayas.

"Initially, we only have but
literally, a news-processing, video-processing bureau which sends pre-edited
news materials to the central desk in Manila," said Jannaral.

Jannaral
said he was glad that some of his colleagues in the local media have expressed
appreciation on the coming of the government TV network, ostensibly as a leap
indication of development in their sector.

Fairly, ARMM and Central
Mindanao development stories frequently appear in all of PTV's three daily major
news programs on weekdays--effectively projecting local developments, as well,
to the national scene, commented one viewer.

"Our thrust really in the
government media is to report on positive deleopments; to bring out to our
people what is literally good news to everyone, including our children, "
Jannaral said.

Last December 17, Jannaral and BPI-ARMM Director Nash B.
Maulana met ARMM Governor Mujiv S. Hataman on the partnership which, sources
said, would be formalized at the level of the governor and of Secretary Sonny
Coloma of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

Regional Director Olivia Sudaria of the Philippine Information Agency
(PIA) confirmed that the partnership has resulted from efforts to effectuate
convergence among the PIA, BPI and PTV--which, she said, strengthens at regional
level the PCOO organizational tie up in the national government.

"Basically, we focus on the two mainland provinces of the ARMM plus the
Central Mindanao provinces," Jannaral pointed out.

The PCOO which
constitutes the Presidential Communications Group is made up, not of
individuals, but of established government media entities and communications
organizations--PIA, Radio-TV Malacanang, Bureau of Broadcast, Radyo Ng Bayan,
Presidential News Desk (PND), Philippine News Agency (PNA)and the People's
Television (PTV).

Jannaral said he was happy to report also to the
governor, in behalf of the PTV general manager, that the law amending the
network's old charter has been passed by Congress, and is now at the
Presidential table for signature.

Some of the salient features of the
network's amended charter include: allowing PTV to generate revenues through
commercial advertisement production and placements; integration with other
government-run television stations which have not been privatized or sold to
private entities or corporate groups, and an increase of its national budget
from P 1 Billion to P 6 Billion, progressively in three years. (DED-PIA 12/Nash
Maulana-BPI-ARMM)